From the Embers
by BeKindToAllThatLives
Summary: Daryl is badly injured on a supply run by an unexpected explosion - Will deeply hidden feelings be brought to the surface between two survivors? Set in the prison era. (Caryl)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

All consuming, white hot tendrils of pain engulfed his entire body as he struggled to take even a single breath.

Daryl knew that whatever had happened in the past minute or so was far from good, and was further inclined to believe that this would be the end of his miserable life; lying in a crumpled heap on the dirt encrusted pharmacy floor they were currently raiding.

He felt his body violently shudder and each muscle involuntarily relax as the world around him dimmed slightly; his ears just about picked up the horrified shouts from somewhere nearby.

xxxx

Panic on the highest scale clouded Rick's mind and froze his weary limbs as terror crawled up his legs, like a coiled snake constricting its prey.

Frantically scanning the devastated pharmacy, his eyes zoned in on a boot clad leg with ripped up trousers and as white hot dread filled his heart he noticed a familiar crossbow hanging limply from a bloodied hand and that's when he knew he had found his target.

Sprinting across the blown up store, he skidded to halt and found his way to his knees to get a better look at his fallen brother.

Gently moving the hair out of his dazed eyes, he checked for a pulse and to his relief it was present, faint and stuttering, but there none the less.

"Daryl, can you hear me!? Daryl!"

Patting the unconscious man's cheek, desperately trying to find some sign of life; Rick sent a quick prayer to anyone willing to listen, that Daryl would make it out of this alive and well.

A short, sharp intake of breath and a spluttering cough had him letting out a huge breath he didn't realise he was holding.

Daryl's eyes fluttered open, slowly at first and then with more sense of urgency as the man came back to his senses.

"Daryl! Hey, hey, it's alright were going to get you out of here… back to the prison. Herschel can help you… fix you up in no time"

"J-Just leave me… not gonna make it"

Daryl whispered, sounding strangled and looked up at Rick with a sense of finality in his eyes, he thought he was going to die.

Rick knew the situation was bad and couldn't hide the slight tremor in his voice, not that Daryl would have picked up on it in his current condition.

"You'll be ok Daryl, you're not dying today!"

He mustered as much conviction as he could manage and couldn't believe how suddenly this day had turned into a nightmare.

The explosion had come out of nowhere, so unexpected and completely devastating. Not only had Daryl been caught in the blast after going in ahead of the others to check for loitering walkers but the remaining medical supplies they so desperately needed were now destroyed, nothing left to take back with them and definitely not worth loosing Daryl's life over.

"RICK! Have you found him!? We need to go man… there's a heard coming this way, the sound must of got their attention!"

Glenn's panicked shouts spurred Rick into action and he carefully as to not aggravate his wounds further, lifted Daryl into a fireman's lift and made his way on unsteady feet out into the fresh, smoke free air.

The car was ready and waiting, driver behind the wheel bouncing with anticipation of what was to come and the back doors open, ready to transport its newest patient back to the only home they had.

Carefully placing Daryl across the back seats and sitting beside him with his bloodied head cradled in his lap, the vehicle took off back in the direction it had come just as the first few un-dead uselessly scratched and banged the windows in attempt to devour another fresh meal.


	2. Chapter 2

**I've decided to carry on with this story even though it's been two years since I first wrote it because I received quite a few reviews and messages asking me to continue, so here goes! I'm hoping by writing this it will get me out of my writing slump lol hope you enjoy and constructive criticism is more than welcome :)**

The speeding car turned a little too fast, creating a dust cloud and knocking all three of its occupants harshly to the left. This then earned a quick gasp from the heavily wounded man lying listlessly on the back seat, his head propped up on Rick's trouser clad leg.

So far Daryl had been in and out of consciousness the entire ride back and was unresponsive to any of Rick's frantic questions.

"Woah Glenn, take it easy!" Rick scolded as the car righted itself and carried on down the empty back roads in a rush to make it back the prison, his grip on Daryl, which had tightened on reflex, loosened again.

"Sorry man... how's he doing back there?" Glenn replied sheepishly, eyes darting to the rear-view mirror and back to the road ahead again, easing off the gas pedal slightly and trying to get his panic under control.

"It's hard to tell, he can't stay awake for more than a few seconds" Rick explained with a dejected sigh and once again lightly tapped Daryl's cheek whilst calling his name.

"Hershel will know what to do, he always does. Besides Daryl's tough, he won't let a little explosion keep him down for long" Glenn said with half a smile, trying to create a moment of levity that both men desperately needed. However, looking down at Daryl's bleeding head, pale face and fluttering eyelids and it was hard to see any humour in the situation.

Finally, the gates of the prison they currently called home came into view. Carl and Michonne were currently on gate duty and as they spotted the familiar car approaching a little too fast to be normal and the panicked face of its current driver, they hurriedly opened the makeshift gates and let the vehicle through.

As soon as the road worn tyres rolled to a stop, Glenn jumped out of the driver's seat, opened the creaky back door and grabbed Daryl's legs whilst Rick simultaneously shuffled back and grabbed under his fallen brothers armpits and together they managed to remove him from the car.

"Glenn what happened!?" Maggie yelled as she came running out from one of the guard towers, gun slung over her shoulder along with a panic-stricken Carol carrying a gun of her own and frantically looking over Daryl's unconscious form and noticing his pale, bleeding and sweat soaked skin.

"We ran into some trouble at the pharmacy, I'll explain everything when we get him inside, Maggie where's Herschel?" Rick asked hurriedly whilst struggling with the strain of carrying the dead weight of Daryl in his arms.

"He's in the cell block with the others" she replied, already moving to go warn her father of the incoming patient he had just unknowingly received.

Carol quickly followed them, hoping that the man she had grown to care deeply about wasn't going to be cruelly taken from her so soon...

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Depositing the heavy weight of Daryl on the bottom bunk in one of the makeshift bedrooms, Herschel came into view through the open doorway. He promptly placed his crutches against the wall and gingerly lowered himself into the cold, metal chair beside the bed.

"Alright then, let's see what the damage is" Hershel said whilst surveying Daryl's prone form for damage and hoping it would be something he could easily fix.

The most obvious injury was a profusely bleeding wound on the back of his head on left side, along with various other minor looking cuts on his face and arms. Gently manoeuvring Daryl onto his right side with this help of Maggie, Hershel examines the deep looking cut which had thankfully just about started to stop bleeding.

"Not too deep, head wounds usually bleed a lot, but it seems to have stopped now, thankfully." Hershel mused whilst looking closely at the sight of the injury.

"So, will he be ok?" Rick asked wearily whilst dragging a hand down his face to rub at the itching stubble that was definitely due a shave.

"I'll have to stitch the wound closed on his head as it looks quite deep, but apart from that all we can do is wait for him to wake up... and then assess the damage done, if any at all." the older man explained, trying to smile reassuringly at the younger man and more so at Carol who was staring with a haunted look in her eyes.

"Maggie could you pass me the suture kit please?" Hershel asked his eldest daughter, who he was immensely proud of for staying calm in situations like this one, and she immediately began rummaging through the first aid kit they had thankfully managed to find in the prison infirmary when first taking over the prison. Herschel then began stitching closed the open wound on Daryl's head with a practise ease, noting how everyone else in the room was watching in complete silence.

Carol stood with her arms wrapped around her small frame in the corner of the tiny cell with worry creasing her brow and a cold sweat of dread taking over her entire body.

"I'll finish cleaning him up Hershel, you still need to be resting" she said without taking her eyes from Daryl but giving his shoulder a small squeeze as she approached. Herschel paused with his current task and even though he was feeling much stronger recently, it was obvious that Carol needed to do this, so he agreed with a gentle smile and a nod of his head and placed the washcloth into her waiting hand.

"Maybe we should go downstairs and I'll explain to everyone what happened today" Rick suggested with a knowing look to Hershel and Maggie and nodding in agreement they all left the room unnoticed by its only conscious visitor.

The moment Carol realised she was alone with the unconscious man, who was far too still for her liking, she released a shaky breath and deflated back into the chair she was currently occupying.

"Please be ok Daryl, I can't do this without you" she breathed into the piercing silence, whilst reaching out to clean the rest of the blood and grime from his arms, face and injured head.

Smoothing the hair from his closed eyes, which was matted with dried blood, Carol leant over and placed a gentle kiss to Daryl's forehead. After a few lingering moments she sat back with a sense of determination and planned to sit there until his blue eyes stared right back at her. Gently grasping the listless right hand of the person she had grown to love and hoping that simply feeling her presence would give him some comfort, her silent vigil began...


End file.
